With six terms in the N.C. Senate and four terms as mayor of Carrboro behind her, it’s no surprise that Sen. Ellie Kinnaird spends much of her time at campaign appearances talking about what she’s done.

Kinnaird began a recent UNC forum appearance by noting that many in the room were taking advantage of one of her accomplishments – one stop early voting.

“That was my bill,” she said, noting she also helped implement a law requiring paper ballots be used throughout the state to ensure accurate vote counts.

But Kinnaird places the strongest emphasis on her successes in enacting environmental legislation.

“I’ve had a strong environmental history,” she said. “We’ve passed energy and water conservation for all new public buildings.”

Kinnaird has also worked to control sedimentation pollution, require alternative fuels in state vehicles and ban construction materials in landfills.

Kinnaird’s tenure in the Senate has involved a wide variety of issues, including many that have become important in light of the current economic crisis.

Kinnaird said she and her colleagues in the General Assembly take credit for reducing the impact of the mortgage crisis in North Carolina,

“We stopped predatory lending in this state six years ago,” she said.

Kinnaird also supported raising the minimum wage and helped secure funding for the new Cancer Center at UNC Hospitals, which will open next year.

She agrees with her opponent, Jon “Greg” Bass that teacher salary increases are needed, and she also supports charter schools.

But she doesn’t support Bass’s plan to raise cigarette and beer taxes to improve schools. She thinks money for this purpose should be raised at the local level with property and other taxes, which she credits for the success of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system.

She also differs from Bass in her opposition to offshore drilling in North Carolina, which Bass supports as a way to reduce gas prices.

“Apparently that’s one of the most environmentally rich areas, and you can destroy that,” Kinnaird said.

Despite her laundry list of accomplishments, Kinnaird, 76, is not ready to retire from her senate seat, as she has a number of goals she hopes to attain during her seventh term if reelected.

“My main concern is this mental health bill,” she said. “That’s going to be a very difficult bill to get through.”

She is also concerned about the number of families on the waiting list to receive child care subsidies, and wants to improve that system. And she wants to avoid cutting programs for juveniles when the General Assembly balances the budget (which faces a huge deficit), as well as implemented California emission standards in North Carolina.

While the challengers in General Assembly races have lamented effects of redistricting and gerrymandering on the strength of competition in the campaigns, Kinnaird blames the low salary of the office as the reason many races are uncontested. She said being a senator is a full time job and has quit her law practice as a result, but the job only pays about $13,000 per year.

Kinnaird’s seniority in the legislature has put her in several major leadership positions in the Senate. She co-chairs both the Senate appropriations on justice and safety committee and the agriculture, environment and natural resources committee.

I haven’t been able to get up with Sen. Bob Atwater regarding his campaign, but he’s been in the news a number of times since he was last up for election, so voters can get a decent idea of what he’s accomplished from that.

-He teamed up with Gov. Mike Easley to enact a bill that requires gift card vendors to disclose any maintenance fees.

-He supported a land transfer tax for Chatham County.

-He cosponsored a bill with Sen. Ellie Kinnaird to institute public financing of Council of State campaigns.

His goals, according to his Web site, include:

-Creating jobs by tailoring education programs to today’s workforce, recruiting more industries to this region and creating a positive climate for small businesses.

-Improving education by reducing class sizes, eliminating the academic achievement gap, and preparing students for today’s job market.

-Increasing access to quality health care through supporting health care programs such as NC Senior Cares and NC Health Choice for Children.

-Protecting the environment by balancing development with the health of our rivers, lakes, streams and open space.

But this News and Observer article from 2005 shows mixed reviews of his first term in office, and gives some insights into his leadership style.

The Daily Tar Heel has also made an endorsement in the District 23 race, joining the Independent Weekly in supporting Sen. Ellie Kinnaird’s campaign for reelection.

But like the Independent, the DTH hasn’t done much research into Bass’s candidacy. Standard practice for newspapers is to obtain questionnaire answers or an in-person interview with both candidates before offering an endorsement, and given that Bass is mentioned in about two sentences, it seems as if they didn’t do that. They claim he’s an inactive candidate, which is not true as he has campaigned extensively (albeit without funds for much advertising), including several appearances at forums with his opponent. Also, I’m unable to link to the story because for some reason, it’s not available in the paper’s online edition. You can find it on the last page of the October 29 PDF print edition, however.

Speaking of information about Bass, check out the Roxboro Herald-Courier’s profile of his campaign.

Sen. Ellie Kinnaird squared off with challenger Greg Bass at a forum at UNC’s Campus Y on Monday, discussing a wide variety of issues with a handful of students in attendance. The forum was sponsored by the Public Policy Majors Union and the Roosevelt Institute.

This Daily Tar Heel article covers most of the highlights, though I can’t help but point out an error in the story. The article states that Kinnaird walked to the forum from her home. I walked with her to her car as I interviewed her, so that’s not true and I’m not sure how the DTH writer got it.

Another interesting moment at the forum was when Bass picked up on the theme of change that has been so prevalent this election season.

“We need to change things,” he said. “The Democrats have been in charge for the last eight years. It’s got nothing to do with Bush.”

Click here for a podcast of the forum. Pardon the low audio quality; the candidates were not miked but everything can still be heard over the background static.

The Independent Weekly has released its endorsements in a number of local General Assembly races, and they’ve chosen Sen. Bob Atwater and Sen. Ellie Kinnaird.

However, the paper didn’t take the time to research the challengers. Instead, they are basing the endorsements off their knowledge of the incumbents’ records and a questionnaire they sent to candidates, which Roger Gerber answered minimally and Greg Bass didn’t answer at all. Given my experience talking to both challengers, they seem quite happy to provide their opinion on any issue and therefore the Indy appears to have done shoddy reporting. Not a good basis for endorsements, in my opinion.

I just learned that several student organizations at UNC are hosting a forum with Sen. Ellie Kinnaird and Greg Bass. Here are the details if you want to attend.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008
What: *N.C. State Senate Forum
*Time: 5:15 pm
Location: Anne Queen Lounge, Campus Y, UNC Campus
Participants: Senator Ellie Kinnaird (D), incumbent Greg Bass (R), challenger

I’m hoping to record a podcast of the event, so check back for that.

Roger Gerber has spent years organizing and advocating for charter schools, so it’s no surprise that the issue is at the forefront of his campaign for N.C. Senate.

Gerber, the Republican candidate in District 18, wants to abolish the cap limiting the number of charter schools to 100 schools statewide, and while he doesn’t think it’s likely that he will defeat incumbent Sen. Bob Atwater, he hopes his candidacy will contribute to the statewide debate about charter schools. He says charter schools are often more effective than traditional public schools.

“If you take them all together they’re doing at least as well as public schools,” Gerber said. He added that existing charter schools need more funding, since they don’t receive the $1,000 per student in building funds that public schools get.

“They’re doing as well with $1,000 less per child,” he said. “I’d like to see charter schools get that extra $1,000 per child.”

Gerber, 60, a resident of Chatham County for 30 years, has made charter schools and education reform his main professional focus. He founded the League of Charter Schools, North Carolina’s charter school trade association, and he helped start five charter schools. He also serves as a board member for several schools.

But increasing the number of charter schools is not the only way Gerber wants to change the public education system. He said he would increase teacher salaries and give them pay raises on the basis of merit rather than tenure.

He is also concerned by the state’s testing program. He said students were given a reading test in May, but the results have still not been released.

“We need a nationally normed test,” Gerber said, noting that he thinks state education officials should be solely responsible for the tests that measure school success. “Testing has to be improved.”

But these reforms can and must be made without raising taxes, Gerber said. He believes that regardless of the financial crisis, lawmakers should not increase taxation.

“People have to be on a budget, and there’s no reason government doesn’t have to be on a budget too,” he said.

Gerber said the educational reforms he supports must be made from the N.C. General Assembly, and the lack of competition and turnover in the legislature is preventing changes from being made. He noted the gerrymandering of districts such as District 18 that all but ensure a victory for his Democratic opponent, as well as the significant financial disadvantage challengers face.

“The N.C. Senate is a body you’d see in Havana,” he said.

He said he’s opposed to the earmark spending that occurs in the legislature as lawmakers attempt to get money for projects within their districts.

“There’s a general philosophy that has to be altered,” Gerber said. “We just can’t keep using taxpayer dollars to buy votes.”

Gerber has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

I decided to take a cue from my colleague’s blog about campaign finances and take a look at the finance reports the candidates have filed with the N.C. State Board of Elections.

As one might expect, the Republican challengers are working with much less money than the incumbents. Jon “Greg” Bass is not required to file finance reports because he plans to keep his contributions and expenditures under $3,000. Roger Gerber is reporting his finances, but so far he’s posted only one contribution- a donation of $707 from himself.

Sen. Ellie Kinnaird has reported a total of $49,926 in contributions so far this election cycle. Of that, $8,931 came from contributions from individuals under $50. She received $21,344 in contributions from individuals in amounts over $50. The majority of her major contributors reside in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area or outside District 23. $19,650 of her funds have come from other political committees. Among these, the noticeably large contributions include the following: $2,000 from Emily’s List, an organization that donates to female Democratic candidates; $4,000 from the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers PAC- Kinnaird is a lawyer; and $4,500 from the State Employee’s Association of North Carolina Employee’s PAC.

Sen. Bob Atwater has raised significantly less than Kinnaird. His total contributions so far come to $30,108. Of that, only $1,553 come from individual contributions of less than $50. $17,984 come from individuals, and Atwater has received $9,800 from other political committees. These donations from organizations include: $1,000 from the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers PAC; $500 from the N.C. Dental PAC; $500 from the N.C. Pork Council PAC; $1,000 from the Progress Energy Employees Carolinas PAC; $1,000 from the N.C. Medical Society PAC; $2,000 from Citizens for Higher Education; $500 from Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina Employee PAC; $500 from the N.C. Hospital Association PAC; and $750 from the Nationwide Carolina Political Participation Fund- a group based in Ohio which appears to be associated with Nationwide Insurance.

The reports currently available only go through the second quarter of 2008, which ended June 30. Contributions made since then have not been reported and are not included in this data.

With senate districts as large and diverse as Districts 18 and 23, it’s interesting to note where the candidates live in relation to the rest of their district and constituents. The Google Maps application below shows the two districts (District 23 is in blue, District 18 is in yellow) and where candidates reside within their district. As you can see, the candidates, with the exception of Greg Bass, all reside in the greater Chapel Hill area. Use the “get directions” feature to find out how far you live from the person who could or does represent you. Also note that county lines drawn in the map are not intended to be precise. For those in Durham County who are unsure what district they reside in (as some precincts are split in half), I’m working on a map application that will show the exact senate district boundaries in the county.

View Larger Map

In my last post introducing the candidates, I didn’t have much information on Jon “Greg” Bass, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird’s Republican opponent, as he doesn’t have a Web site. I spoke to Bass tonight, and he had a lot to say about his background, the state of politics in North Carolina and his plans if he’s elected.

Bass, 60, lives in Roxboro and is retired from the automobile industry. He is also a veteran, having served four years in the Air Force. He holds a degree in history from High Point College (now High Point University) and attended graduate school at UNC-Greensboro. His wife, Ruth, teaches in the Person County School System, having taught for 35 years.

Due to the knowledge of schools he gets from his wife, improving the state of schools in North Carolina is Bass’s main goal if elected.

“I am ticked off at the way the state has handled education,” he said, noting what he sees as the misuse of funding for teacher bonuses. “When they get excellence they don’t pay for excellence.”

Bass said teacher salaries need to increase in order to improve the quality of education.

“We can’t have teachers making $4,300 below the national average,” he said. “Teachers need to be paid as professionals, not babysitters.”

And Bass’s plan to accomplish this goal is atypical of a Republican candidate- he wants to raise taxes, though only on cigarettes and beer.

“I propose to have a sensible tax increase on cigarettes,” Bass said. He added that North Carolina’s cigarette and beer taxes are some of the lowest in the country, while our gas tax rate is among the country’s highest. He said he wants to lower the gas tax while increasing taxes on cigarettes and beer.

“Cigarettes are an elective, gasoline is not,” he said.

Bass also said he wants to reform the way revenues from the N.C. Education Lottery are allocated, so that more of it is directed to teacher salaries.

“I want to change the lottery so it truly benefits teachers in K-12,” he said.

And to further demonstrate his commitment to education, Bass said he would donate half of his salary as a senator to fund scholarships at Piedmont Community College in Roxboro.

“The job doesn’t pay very much, but they can have it,” he said.

Another goal for Bass is bringing new industries and jobs into Person and Orange counties, which he said have little to offer their residents in employment. He blames the state’s high corporate taxes for making economic development unattractive.

“I propose to slash those daggum corporate taxes in half,” Bass said. “North Carolina has to be a leader, not in taxes, in technology.”

Since Kinnaird resides in Carrboro, Bass said he is better qualified to represent the interests of Person and northern Orange, which are predominantly rural. He also disputes any claims that the election might be a cakewalk for his incumbent opponent.

“Her constituents are basically Chapel Hill and Carrboro,” he said. “She’s under the misconception that she’s got a lock on this thing.”

Bass said he decided to run for the office, which would be his first elected position, because he is unhappy with the state of politics in North Carolina.

“I had just had enough of the bickering and back and forth,” he said. “It’s time to bring some common sense to the electoral process.”

Next week, I’ll hopefully have a similar profile of Roger Gerber, the Republican challenger in District 18. Because their campaigns lack extensive funding, there’s less information about them than the incumbents. I’m also planning to post lengthy video interviews with each of the four candidates, as well as provide coverage of debates and other issues related to the campaigns.